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Reviews For: PowerWerx SS-30DV

Category: Power Supplies

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Review Summary For : PowerWerx SS-30DV
Reviews: 45MSRP: 129.95 (119.95 street price)
Description:
13.85 VDC, 25 amp continous, 30 amp surge power supply. 2 Anderson Powerpole connectors (front) and 1/4 inch binding posts (rear). Fan cooled.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.powerwerx.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00453.7
WA6BJH Rating: 2020-03-23
Good for a few years, but then . . . Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I used this supply for several years and it worked quite well. I used it with a KX3, a PX3, and a KXPA100. Then one day I noticed some strange noise on the PX3 display. The noise moved around on the band. I turned off the supply and put everything on a battery and the noise disappeared. It came back with the supply on. I disconnected the supply and sent it to Silicon Heaven by way of the Santa Fe landfill. I just didn’t want to take a chance on damaging my equipment. I bought a Astron switcher with meters for about the same price and it seems OK.
KA1GJU Rating: 2020-03-12
Poor voltage regulation and RFI generator! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Swapped out the old 30A linear for this tiny switcher. Until an RFI birdie drifted through my operating frequency. Antenna is is an inverted V, 90' above me! RFI is negligible with no load applied. As the supply is loaded up with devices, the RFI strength increases. Pulling the DC power cord kills the RFI while monitoring on an separate SDR on the same antenna. Unit needs more filtering on the Vdc output line!
Voltage regulation starts at 14.2Vdc no load. Turn on IC-7300 and drops to 14.0Vdc. At 50W carrier output it drops to 13.4Vdc. At 100W carrier output it drops to 13.4Vdc.
N9GRG Rating: 2019-11-14
Really wanted to like it but hash noise was a problem for me Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I love the design, size, specs and physical build of this power supply. But the unit I purchased (new) put out s3+ hash/birdie noise every 30kHz on lower frequencies (8Mhz & below) making reception difficult. It was much cleaner at 20m and above. I contacted PowerWerx and they stated that the power supply is not filtered but is clean and suggested I check my environment for other sources of noise.

I tried other switchers along with my new Astron linear (I purchased to replace this noisy PowerWerx) and had no noise, so I'm left to conclude that it's not my environment but the PowerWerx PS that created the noise.

Based on all the good reviews and Elecraft's recommendation on this I didn't expect this poor performance. Perhaps I got a bad one but I felt PowerWerx dismissed me to easily by suggesting I check/correct my setup. Fortunately, Ham Radio Outlet is a great place and allowed me to return it no questions asked. HRO deserves kudos for the good customer service.
AI6SL Rating: 2019-10-15
Good but lacks overvoltage protection Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The power supply worked fine for over a year. Did not notice any RF noise. Then the squirrels chewed through the neutral wire to the house, creating an imbalance between the two phases and parts of the SS-30DV went up in smoke, literally. Don't know the peak voltage but my computer power supply on the same circuit and everything else in the house survived just fine.
N5RV Rating: 2018-12-31
Great, but.... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Good for most applications, but has RFI issues on HF bands, sweeping birdies and hash mostly. I do like it but for my HF receive applications it just isn't clean enough.
W0MU Rating: 2018-07-05
Fan failure Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two of these units and have taken them on a number of DX Peditions to J6 and V3. You can't beat them for the size. Some seem to have some RFI issues.

After many many many hours of use my K3 started shutting down for no reason. I found the power supply to be very very hot. The small fan had failed.

I emailed Power Werx for a replacement fan. They do not sell them they only do swap outs for essentially the cost of a new unit...????

I found a fan on Amazon for about 7 dollars. The fan size is 50mm x 50mm x 15mm. It is a 7 blade fan with a two pin connector, 12v dc. The fan can be removed without removing the main board. You may have to bend out the back of the case to get the fan to clear.

The fan size if fairly common with Raspberry computers and 3D printers. There were a few with a width of 10mm but at the cost of less air movement. I opted for more air.
N3ETA Rating: 2018-06-10
RFI generator Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased this power supply from Elecraft along with K3S
Radio and P3 Panadaptor. Didn't really need another power supply but figured if I had a problem with the new equipment. Elecraft couldn't question my power source.Well...for awhile I thought I had the K3S setup incorrectly. (It is a very configurable radio) But after spending weeks learning the K3S I still had a load of unaccounted for RFI. I finally pulled one of my other two switching supplies (Alinco 330) from one of my other operating position. Using the same power cable (The one supplied with the K3S) and placed in the same position, plugged into the same outlet. My whistles. moving birdies and general RFI all disappeared. So just out of curiosity I pulled an Astron SS-25 (Another switching supply) put it in place of the Alinco (Again, same power cable, same location, same outlet) and it to was clean. Conversed with a tech at Elecraft and the tech there told me.

"In some cases, hams have installations which worsen the amount of RFI the rig picks up from the power supply. It could be the type of antenna or feedline, or proximity between the rig and the antenna. Ferrite bead chokes or additional grounding can help sometimes.

If that seems to be the case with your unit, it is probably best to return it and get a linear mode power supply rather than a switching supply."
I explained the situation and am currently awaiting an RMA Number so I can return this Power supply.
I'm not sure if I just got a bad supply or if the design is questionable. But I couldn't real recommend this power supply to other. I can tell you this. It has nothing to do with the fact that it is a switching power supply
WB7DND Rating: 2018-05-05
Boring! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is one of the most boring pieces of equipment I have ever owned. All it does is sit there and keep the transceiver working.

Boring, boring, boring.
WA2ZQX Rating: 2017-11-21
Reliable-Quiet Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After 2-years, no problems, no noise(40 thru 6 meters) and the fan is still running at a whisper...Compared to the fan-racket my MFJ-4245MV makes. Very compact and light weight, makes it perfect for portable ops. Output voltage has always been constant with no spikes. A good value for the price.
W2DL Rating: 2017-01-28
Perfect Companion for the KX3 Line Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The Powerwerx 30-amp SS- 30DV power supply may sound like just another switching power supply. But it isn’t to me, a KX3 devotee. For the past five years, I’ve powered my one and only rig – a KX3 – with the Gamma Research HPS-1a power supply. Now that is a really good, really compact power supply. But I decided it was time for a few more toys, and so I recently purchased the KXPA100 amplifier and PX3 pan adapter, upping the power supply specifications. Researching a replacement, I became aware that Elecraft themselves recommends and resells the SS-30DV power supply for their equipment. It’s no wonder… the color and design integrate seamlessly with their equipment.

I purchased my SS-30DV directly from Powerwerx, because I also wanted to order several of their cables with Powerpole connectors. I was pleased with their service, packaging and – of course – the power supply operation itself.

I like the two Powerpole connectors on the front panel and the ¼-inch connector on the rear panel. It’s quiet – both aurally and RFI-wise (no hash) – and does the job. It’s relatively compact and has earned its real estate on my desktop and the Gamma Research HPS-1a is relegated to portable work when I plop the KX3 in a suitcase, leaving the amplifier and pan adapter at home.
Bob - W2TAC